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We Don't Hear it Enough in Canada - Fraudsters Found Guilty Now Facing Prison Time

Jawad Rathore and Vince Petrozza were found guilty yesterday in Ontario Superior court for defrauding thousands through their syndicated mortgage investment schemes. They now face anywhere from two to fourteen years in prison, sentencing will be in a few weeks. After many years of flagrant spending and shameless profiteering they met justice. Newsload was there. Read the CBC story here

A few of the fraud victims and advocates who attended the verdict hearing of Jawad Rathore and Vince Petrozza, principles at Fortress, on May 28th, 2025 at Ontario Superior Court in downtown Toronto.
 Shock and elation. A few of the fraud victims and advocates who attended the verdict hearing of Jawad Rathore and Vince Petrozza, principles at Fortress, on May 28th, 2025 at Ontario Superior Court in downtown Toronto.

Newsload caught Jawad Rathore leaving the courthouse on the last day of the trial awaiting the verdict. He and his partner Vince Petrozza were convicted on May 28th, 2025 of defrauding investors by massively over stating the valuations of the projects they sought investors for and downplaying the risk.


It was nice and sunny when the dozen or so investors, of the many thousands who were defrauded, came out of the court house with smiles - and shock - on their faces. Many did not think this day would ever come. White collar crime in Canada is notoriously hard to convict on, partly because the RCMP teams who put these complex cases together are woefully under funded, partly because powerful interests have often defanged already weak oversight laws always under the guise of 'cutting red tape'.


Fortress Victims give a stunned cheer as they let the fact that justice was met and accountability levied

Not this time. After a decade plus, culminating in the two principles being charged and then finally convicted, justice has been served. Though, as a few of the victims of the fraud said outside the courthouse, this decision was not going to bring their money, time and emotional energy back, it was nice to finally see some accountability.




This verdict also gives our Blue Food Films project "Capitalisms: Fortress" new life as the many hours of work on it can now be leveraged with renewed vigor. The public needs to hear this story of corruption and intrigue. One that is a warning to all who might hope to invest their money in projects that are more about sophisticated sales strategies than good, or ethical math. Stay tuned to Newsload for more updates. ~Bryan





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